All plant species represented on this page have demonstrated ability to survive
without human cultivation in the general area where they appeared. Some of these species were
originally introduced from other parts of the world, however.
North Carolina state-listed species shown below include the Prairie Wild
Indigo (Baptisia australis), which is "threatened;" the Smooth Coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), which is "special concern" and "endangered" and the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea
muscipula), which is "special concern."

The plants on this page are ordered by their
family classification within their subclass for simplicity. These Latin names were checked against the
Integrated Taxonomic Information System for validity.
Identification errors are possible. No information on this page
should be interpreted as medical advice or as authoritative information relevant
to herbal medicine, nor should any plants represented on it be assumed to be
edible.

NOTE: Durham,
NC is in USDA Hardiness Zone 7. The first hard freeze of the winter of 2009 was on the night of December 5 and the first snow on December 18.

Trout Lily (Erythonium americanum),
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/13/08. These ephemera show up in early spring and die back to
the ground when new leaves on the trees cut off the sunlight to the
understory. They are common in wooded areas around here.

Orange Daylilies or Tiger Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva), near Old
Salem, Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC, 6/7/09. These were just
a few of the many daylilies of this species growing wild in this area.

Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale)
winter leaf, 2/21/09,
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC.
The rather large leaf appears in fall and winter (but never the same
time as the inflorescence), even as far north as
Wisconsin, according to the University of Wisconsin at Madison Botany Department.
ID thanks to Will Cook.

Smooth Coneflower(Echinacea laevigata), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC,6/4/06. This is an officially endangered species according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service and North Carolina
Ecological Services according to their
Smooth Coneflower Page.

Salt-marsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata),
Goose Creek State Park, Washington County, NC, 9/21/08. Also seen in
rural Chatham County, NC.

Firewheel or Indian
Blanket
(Gaillardia pulchella),Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/11/09.
Although it is more commonly called "Firewheel" in North Carolina, it is
called "Indian Blanket" in warmer climates, e.g., southern Texas, where
it is seen in large clusters.

Touch Me Not or Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) seeds and burst pod,
Geitner Park, Hickory, Catawba County, NC, 9/25/09. Touching a
ripe pod, which has a slender convex shape, causes it to split at the
seams, freeing the seeds.

Miami Mist (Phacelia purshii),
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/2/10, one of many near the parking lot. ID thanks to Bailey Winstead,
who says they are common in the Smoky Mountains. They are not native
this far east, according to Harry LeGrand, who confirmed the species ID.
These are similar the Fringed Phacelia, which has fewer flowers per
stem.

Forked Bluecurls
(Trichostema dichotomum), 9/28/10.These wildflowers
were common in the sand on the initial stretch of the Fort Fisher Basin Trail,
New Hanover County, NC. ID thanks to Janie Harmon Owens.

Carpet Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans, introduced from Eurasia), about 3 feet high, just off Lake Crabtree trail on southern side of lake. Lake
Crabtree County Park, Wake County, NC, 4/16/09.

Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), Macon County, NC
8/9/05. This view of a flower shows that it has the normal
reproductive organs, in contrast to widespread belief that it is not
actually a plant, but a fungus. This plant produces no
chlorophyll, obtaining its nutrients from the soil.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), seen at about 3700 feet in elevation
on Sharp Top Mountain in the Peaks of Otter Recreational Area (National
Parks Service), Bedford County, VA on 7/10/09. About 20 plants
were seen in close proximity near a small rain forest.

Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata). A vine with five
leaves coming from one stem. These are young leaves. Durham, NC,
3/24/09. It is an introduced species from Japan. ID thanks to
Will Cook.
USDA info on Chocolate Vine.

Swamp Rose
(Rosa palustris), Flat River Impoundment, Durham County, NC, 6/3/11.
One of a few wild rose species found in North Carolina:
USDA Plants Rosa genus page

Sapindaceae family, Rosidae subclass

Cardiospermum corindum, Pitt County Arboretum,
Greenville, NC, 9/26/14. This plant is native to Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and was introduced to Arizona, Texas
and Florida, so it's not a true wildflower where I saw it.

Porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, an introduced plant), American Tobacco Trail, Durham,
NC, 8/25/09. The leaves have a markedly different shape from the
round-leaved Vitis genus members. This is listed as invasive in 12 states, but not in
North Carolina:
National Park Service's Porcelainberry Page.